Youth Leadership Program Visits the City of Coatesville
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The Chester County Chamber Foundation’s Youth Leadership Program is having a very impactful year.
On Tuesday, February 11, we were hosted by James Logan, City Manager, at 1 City Hall Place, Coatesville, PA. The day was filled with wonderful and entertaining speakers.
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James Logan started off the day explaining the government structure of Coatesville, the only city in Chester County. The YLP students then met Lieutenant Rodger Ollis, with the Coatesville Police Department. Lieutenant Ollis was followed by the new Fire Chief, Peter Huf. Both gentlemen shared their current job responsibilities and their career journey with the students.
Ricky Campbell from State Representative Dan Williams office than spoke with the students, sharing his story and encouraging students to get involved. Anthony Luker, Southeast Regional Director, Office of Governor Josh Shapiro, engaged the students in a very lively conversation. His main message was that each person should identify their “why” and then pursuit opportunities based on that.
The afternoon was full from beginning to end. Magisterial District Judge Gregory Hines not only explained what his job was but shared his educational background in music. The students asked him to sing for them and he did. It was amazing. Roberta Cosentino, Assistant City Manager, also shared her career journey with us.
The day ended with an informative, entertaining and educational presentation on AI by Geoffrey Klein, Founder, President & CEO of nine dots Media.
Everyone left eager to attend next month's program day!
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Bin There Dump That is bringing the CCCBI Membership an exclusive offer! $25.00 off any 10yd, 14yd or 20yd dumpster rental for the month of February with no limits on the number of rentals.
BTDT - Delaware Valley is committed to providing a reliable and professional service to other local CCCBI Members.
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Eagles Super Bowl Parade Service Details from SEPTA
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SEPTA is getting ready for the hundreds of thousands of Eagles fans who will be attending tomorrow’s Super Bowl Parade. See SEPTA’s service plan and the changes that will be in place to make sure everyone has a great time and most importantly, gets to the parade and back home safely.
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Trump Issues Flurry of Executive Orders
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Donald Trump's inauguration as the 47th President of the United States took place on Monday, January 20th. Upon taking office for the second time as President, Trump signed a flurry of Executive Orders within hours of his inauguration, fulfilling many of his key campaign promises. These executive actions reflect significant policy shifts across various domains, including Executive Orders (EO) that placed all federal employees currently working on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) on leave, and stopped Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) initiatives.
The order took effect at 5 p.m. Wednesday, January 22nd. In addition to placing employees on leave, it directs agencies to remove any public websites for DEI offices. Trump also ordered that all DEI, environmental justice, and equity action offices and programs be terminated within 60 days "to the maximum extent allowed by law."
The Trump Executive Order directly criticized the Biden Administration’s DEI policies, namely the Executive Order (EO) signed by President Biden on his first day of office in 2021. According to information from President Trump, Biden’s EO 13985, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, “demonstrated immense public waste and shameful discrimination.”
The number of people who will be affected has yet to be determined. Still, federal agencies must compile a list of DEI offices and workers and submit "a written plan" for executing layoffs in DEI offices. The EO directs agencies to provide a list of all federal contractors who have provided DEI training or materials as well as any organizations that received federal funding to promote DEI and environmental justice programs. It also requires that within 120 days, the US attorney general submit recommendations "to encourage the private sector" to end similar diversity efforts.
Since President Trump was elected in November, numerous sizable companies have already ended or scaled back their DEI programs. This includes Boeing, Ford, Toyota, Amazon, Molson-Coors, Lowes, Harley Davidson, John-Deere, Meta (Facebook), McDonald's and Walmart, to name a few. However, several companies are defending their DEI programs, including Apple, Costco, Target, and several airlines, such as Delta and American Airlines. Trump also issued an EO, KEEPING AMERICANS SAFE IN AVIATION, that directs the Federal Aviation Administration to prioritize merit-based, non-discriminatory hiring and rescind all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives deemed to prioritize characteristics like race, sex, or disability over qualifications. It mandates evaluating employees in critical safety roles, ensuring all personnel meet high performance and capability standards to uphold air safety and efficiency. The order emphasizes competency and individual excellence in FAA recruitment and operations. The Executive Order can be found HERE.
Other EO’s of potential interest include:
- Unleashing American Energy - read more
- Unleashing Alaska's Extraordinary Resource Potential - read more
- Temporary Withdrawal of All Areas on the Outer Continental Shelf from Offshore Wind Leasing and Review of the Federal Government's Leasing and Permitting Practices for Wind Projects - read more
- Reforming the Federal Hiring Process and Restoring Merit to Government Service - read more
- Restoring Accountability to Policy-Influencing Positions within the Federal Workforce - read more
- Restoring Accountability for Career Senior Executives - read more
- Hiring Freeze - read more
- Return to In-Person Work - read more
- Declaring a National Emergency at the Southern Border of the United States - read more
- Guaranteeing the States Protection Against Invasion - read more
- Designating Cartels and Other Organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists - read more
- Protecting the American People Against Invasion - read more
- Securing Our Borders - read more
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Aidan’s Heart Foundation is dedicated to creating heart-safe communities for youth by raising awareness, providing education, and facilitating life-saving interventions for the prevention of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). Founded by Christy Marshall-Silva in memory of her son Aidan Silva of Downingtown, who tragically lost his life to SCA at the age of 7, our foundation works diligently throughout Chester County and surrounding communities to ensure that no family experiences a similar loss. Through heart screenings, CPR and AED training, and the placement of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in schools and youth-centered spaces, we empower individuals and organizations to take proactive steps in protecting young hearts. Aidan’s Heart Foundation leverages the power of the next generation through our peer-to-peer CPR training program, providing opportunities for students to earn CPR certification, facilitate training opportunities in schools and businesses in the community, and volunteer with emergency response teams. Last month, Aidan’s Heart reached 12,000 youth trained in life-saving skills, 150 AEDs placed and 2,300 young hearts screened since 2013.
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Forming a strategic partnership with the Chester County United Way in 2023, Aidan’s Heart has procured over $650K in state grants through collaboration with local state senators Muth, Comitta and Kane and works with the Chester County Intermediate Unit and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to implement Aidan’s AED Action Plan, a comprehensive cardiac safety program for Chester County schools. We are advocating for policy changes at the state and national levels to give our youth the protection they deserve. Recently, our collective efforts together with Parent Heart Watch and the NFL Smart Hearts Coalition resulted in the passing of the national HEARTS Act, enabling schools across the country to obtain grant funding for AEDs and CPR training. We are excited to be a part of the CCCBI community to explore opportunities that can help make our schools and community heart-safe!
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Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death among student-athletes and the number one medical cause of death on school campuses. Each year, up to 23,000 youth under the age of 25 die from SCA in the United States, with many of these cases occurring in young people who had no prior symptoms or known heart conditions. Studies show that immediate CPR and access to an AED within the first few minutes can increase survival rates to over 80%, yet AEDs are not required in schools in Pennsylvania, and CPR training is not required for teachers and coaches. Aidan’s Heart Foundation addresses these critical gaps by providing the necessary tools and training to save lives. We invite local businesses to partner with us in making our communities safer for every child!
To learn more, please follow us on social media at aidans_heart or visit our website: www.AidansHeart.org.
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Member Events & Resources
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Cozen O'Connor
Employer DEI Policies Under the Trump Administration: Next Steps and Practical Advice
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Following a flurry of executive orders signed by President Trump, employers are working hard to understand the fast-changing compliance landscape surrounding DEI policies and to weigh critical decisions about next steps. Employer policies and practices that touch upon DEI — however that may be defined — will no doubt face increased scrutiny and legal challenges. Changes to such programs may bring legal risk and/or criticism from employees, customers, and business partners.
David Barron, Peter Ennis, Dr. Diedrick Graham, Ann-Marie Luciano, Sidnee McDonald, and Nicole Su will present "Employer DEI Policies Under the Trump Administration: Next Steps and Practical Advice."
They will tackle the following important topics:
1. Update on executive orders impacting both government contractors and companies that do not do business with the federal government.
2. Overview of legal challenges to the executive orders.
3. Update on EEOC enforcement policies and recent cases involving reverse discrimination or other relevant legal theories.
4. Recent actions by state attorneys general on DEI or other legal obligations that may conflict with the executive orders.
5. Roundtable discussion of practical options and legal considerations for employers seeking to maintain or change current DEI programs.
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RKL, LLP
Webinar - Taxes, Tariffs & Trade: What's the Latest from DC?
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With recent developments around tariffs established by the Trump administration, and tax changes looming with sunsetting of TCJA, it’s time to go beyond the headlines and understand how businesses and consumers may be impacted. Back by popular demand, our first “What’s Next” webinar of the year will help business leaders:
- Understand the current tariff landscape, its historical context and why they are a hot topic in today’s news cycle
- Discover the economic impact on businesses and consumers
- Understand the potential winners and losers in the current tariff scenario and how to best position your business amid these changes
- Prepare for the TCJA expiration and uncover proactive steps businesses and individuals can take in anticipation of its sunset
Join our host, Eric Wenger, Tax Partner, and a panel of experts including Chief Investment Officer/Private Wealth Partner Brandon Adams, International Tax Partner Kirsten Deeds and Tax Partner Michael Andrews to equip yourself with the knowledge and insights to navigate our fast-changing business and economic environment. This session is eligible for one hour of CPE in the field of Taxation (see details below).
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Identify who may be affected by the sunset of TCJA
- Gain a comprehensive understanding of the current state of U.S. tariffs, their historical context and why they're trending news
- Navigate possible winning and losing tariff and trade scenarios
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We’d love to hear from and highlight your business! We are seeking member spotlight stories to include in our weekly newsletter!
Email your news to abby@chescochamber.org
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